Ink dispenser



D. W. ETTER INK DISPENSER July 10, 1956 Filed Oct. 24, 1952 INVENTOR.z/oLey W. Erre@ Arr-o RNE ys United States Patent O INK DISPENSER DudleyW. Etter, Lake Mills, Wis. Application October 24, 1952, Serial No.316,697

2 Claims. (Cl. 222-326) The present invention relates to a printingpress ink dispenser and process for dispensing ink onto the plates,rollers or ink fountains or printing presses.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a new andimproved ink dispenser for applying printing ink to printing pressescomprising a cartridge holder having a plunger mechanism associatedtherewith, a disposable tubular cartridge removably attached in theholder and having one end closed by a wall or piston-like member adaptedto be engaged by and advanced through the cartridge by the plunger toexpel ink from the opposite end which is closed by means including arelatively rigid member having a spout operatively connected therewith,the inner opening of the spout being closed by a frangible wall adaptedto be ruptured within an area encompassed by the base of the spout byink pressure inside the cartridge wherebyrthe ink is expelled throughthe spout. In the preferred form of the invention, the spout istransparent so that after the initial use of the cartridge and spout thecolor of the ink is apparent through the walls of the spout.Additionally, the spout is preferably readily removable from thecartridge to facilitate cleaning thereof so that it may be used ondifferent cartridges of ink.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a new and improveddispenser of the character referred to having means for detachablysecuring the plunger to the end movable piston-like wall of thecartridge so that the Wall may be moved in opposite directions to bothexpel and draw in ink through the spout.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a new and improvedprocess of applying ink to the plates, rollers or ink fountains ofprinting presses which comprises forcing the ink from disposablecartridges as desired by moving one end wall of the cartridge thereintoand directing the ink forced from the opposite end of the cartridgethrough a spout operatively connected to the ink receiving portion ofthe press.

The invention resides in certain constructions, combinations andarrangements of parts and steps of process and further objects andadvantages thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art to whichthe invention relates from the following description of the preferredembodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawingsforming a part of this specification, in which similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts and in which- Fig. 1 is alongitudinal sectional View of an ink dispenser embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a portion of the dispenser asshown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the spout shown in Figs. 1 and2;'

Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views similar to Fig. 3 but showingdifferent forms of spouts suitable for use in connection with inkdispensers embodying the invention;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 2 but showing amodified construction, and

raice Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of the discharge end of anink cartridge showing another form or modication of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, an ink dispenser shown in Figs. l and 2,comprises a cartridge holding and plunger mechanism A including atubular metal barrel 10 having one end closed by a wall 11 which isattached to and supported by a handle structure 12. The handle structureincludes a channel shaped hand grip 13 having forwardly facing flanges16, only one of which appears in the drawing, and to which the wall 11of the barrel is suitably attached as by welding or rivets, not shown.

The handle structure 12 carries a plunger rod 17 guided for longitudinalmovement in openings 18, 19 formed in the rear wall of the handle 13 andin the barrel wall 11, respectively. The left hand end of the plungerrod 17 is reduced in diameter and a nut 21, which has a circular plate22 attached thereto, is threaded onto the rod. The rod 17 has a seriesof ratchet teeth 23 formed along one edge thereof and sloping to theright, which teeth are `adapted to be engaged by two pawls 25, 26 foradvancing the rod step by step to the left and into the barrel 10. Thepawl 25 is pivotally carried on pin 27 at the upper end of a trigger 2Swhich is channel shape and pivotally attached between the sides of thehandle 13 by a pin 29 supported by the handle sides. The trigger 2S isnormally urged outwardly from the handle 13 by an A-shape spring 30which is held in position by a lug 31 formed on the trigger. The pawl 25is urged clockwise about its pivot pin 27 by a spring 32 so that the endthereof catches in the teeth 23y of rod 17 to move the rod to the leftwhen the trigger is drawn toward the handle 13. When the trigger 28 isreleased, the spring 30 moves it outwardly from the handle and the pawl25 is moved thereby to the right and in doing so rides over the teeth 23without moving the rod.

The pawl 26 is operative to retain the gain of the rod 17 into thecartridge and accordingly it is pivoted on a pin' .3 4secured inopposite sides of the hand grip and is iloliri'ally urged upwardly int-oengagement with the tetll `23 of the rod 17 by a spring 36. It will beseen that the pawl 26 engages the teeth 23 and prevents outward movementof the rod 17; that is, movement of the rod 17 toward the right when thetrigger 3i) is moved outwardly and pawl 25 moved to the right. When therod 17 is advanced into the barrel 10 by the pawl 25, pawl 26 is deectedand does not interfere with this movement of the rod. Any other suitableplunger actuating mechanism could be employed, preferably having adevice for advancing the plunger r'od'in steps and retaining the gainthereof into the cartridge.

Preferably, a roller 37 is positioned above the rod 17 and rides on thetop portion thereof to prevent binding of the rod on the' edges of theopenings 18, 19.

The plunger rod 17 has a pin 38 through the right hand end which forms ahandle by which the rod may be rotated to move the teeth 23 thereof outof alignment with the pawls 25, 26 so that the rod may be withdrawn fromthe barrel 1t).

In the forni shown, the outer end of the barrel 10 is closed by aplate-like cap 4t) which is detachably connected to the barrel by abayonet type connection and for this purpose has a peripheral flange 41having opposed sections inset to provide overhanging arcuate shoulders42, 43. The end of the barrel 10 has two opposed rearwardly turnedperipheral flanges 46, 47 which are spaced apart at opposite sides toreceive the shoulder sections 42, 43 of the cap when the latter isremoved and replaced on the barrel, and they engage the shouldersections to retain the cap 40 over the end of the barrel when theshoulder sections are moved into alignment therewith by rotating the caprelative to the barrel.

A disposable cartridge C containing suitable printing ink I is adaptedto be received inside the barrel 10, and in the form shown in Fig. 1, itcomprises a cylinder 50, which preferably is formed of inexpensivedisposable material, such as paper or the like, having one end closed bya flanged disk 51 and the opposite end closed by a disk 52. The disk 51may be formed of relatively rigid material, such as sheet metal, and ispress fitted into the cylinder 50 so that ink will not seep therearound.In the preferred forni, the disk 51 has a bolt 53 extending through acentral opening, which bolt is secured in place by a nut 54 threadedthereon. When the cartridge C is inserted into the barrel 1t) it isrotated so that the bolt 53 is threaded into the nut 21 so that the disk51 Will be secured to the plunger rod 17 and can be moved in oppositedirections in the cartridge by the plunger rod. Alternatively, the bolt53 could be omitted and the disk 51 engaged by the plate 22 so that thedisk would be moved through the cartridge by the rod 17 in one directiononly. In the latter instance when the rod 17 is withdrawn the disk 51will remain in its most advanced position inside the cartridge. Ineither case, the disk 51 serves as a closure for one end of thecartridge as well as a piston to force ink therefrom.

The disk 52 is preferably of sheet metal and is flanged similarly todisk 51 and is likewise press tted into the end of the cylinder S0. Asmay be clearly seen in Fig. l, the disk 52 is concave and a circularflap 57 is cut in the central portion thereof. The cut forming the flap57 is less than 360 to provide a hinge for the flap. The flap is left inplace by the cutting operation so that an effective seal is provided forthe ink in the cartridge until the cartridge is used. This seal isillustrated in Fig. 2. The closure will rupture under moderate pressureof ink inside the cartridge and the iiap will move outwardly to theposition shown in Fig. l, when the disk 51 is forced inwardly of thecartridge by the plunger rod 17.

A spout 60 is adapted to be held to the disk 52 to direct ink from thecartridge onto the plates, rollers or ink fountains of printing presses.In the form shown in Figs. l, 2, 3 the spout 60 has a base portion 61comprising a convex flange 62 which nests in the concave portion of thedisk 52 so that the base of the spout is centered in registration Withthe opening closed by the flap 57. The base portion 61 is enlargedrelative to the outer portion of the spout to provide a cavity 63 toreceive the flap 57 when it is forced outwardly. In addition, theenlargement forms an annular external shoulder 64 lying in a planeextending transversely of the axis of the spout and which is engaged byportions of the cap 4G adjacent to a central opening 65 therein throughwhich the spout 60 projects when the cap is attached to the barrel 10.By this construction, the cartridges can be stored and handled with thespouts unassociated therewith, and when they are to be used are merelyplaced inside the barrel 10, a nozzle 60 fitted to the disk 52 and thecap 40 attached to the barrel 1t) as described to hold the cartridge inthe barrel and the nozzle to the closure disk at the discharge end ofthe cartridge. In order to provide a snug engagement between the nozzle,cap and cartridge, a suitable resilient gasket 66 is interposed betweenthe cap 40 and the end of the barrel 10. Preferably, the spout 60 isformed of a transparent material such as a clear plastic, so that thecolor of the ink in a partially used cartridge will be readily apparent.The discharge end of the spout is supplied with a cup-shaped closure orcover 67 which is frictionally attached to the end thereof when thedispenser is not being used to prevent drying and caking of ink in thespout.

As mentioned previously, the sealed cartridges can be shipped and storedWithout the spouts being associated therewith and when ready for use,the spouts may be readily operatively connected therewith by attachingthe cap 40 over the end of the barrel 10 as described.v When Athe ink isexhausted from the cartridges they may be disposed of and the spoutsused therewith cleaned and reused with unspent cartridges.

In the form of spout shown in Figs, 1, 2, 3, the outlet end thereof isround, but the spout outlet and/ or outlet end may be of any desiredconguration, such as, rectangular in cross section, as shown in Fig. 4.This form of opening produces a ribbon of ink which facilitates thespreading thereof on the plates or rollers.

Still another form of spout is shown at in Fig. 5 wherein the stemportion of the spout is curved and the opening in the outer end thereofis rectangular in cross section. The base portion of the spout 60' islike that of spout 60. The curved form of the spout facilitates placingthe ink in more or less inaccessible areas.

Another form of ink cartridge is shown at C in Fig. 6. This cartridgecomprises a paper cylinder 70 having the ink discharge end thereofclosed by a web 71 of wax paper or the like which is secured in place bya flanged cap 72 placed over the end of the cartridge and crimpedthereto as indicated at 73. The opposite end of the cylinder 70, notshown, is closed by a disk similar to disk 51. When the cartridge C isto be used a spout 74 is attached to the cap 72 and the cartridge thenplaced in the barrel 10 of the mechanism A, as described with referenceto cartridge C. The spout 74 has a flange at the base having aperipheral groove 75 therein Which receives the edges of an opening 76through the cap 72. The material of the spout is resilient and thereforeslightly compressible so that the base may be pressed and resilientlyheld in the opening through the cap. The spout 74 has a shoulder 77which corresponds to the shoulder 64 of the spout 60 and which isengaged by the portions of the cap 40 adjacent to the edges of theopening therethrough to assist in securing the spout in place.

When the plunger rod 1'7 is moved by the trigger 30, the increase inpressure of the ink causes the paper web 71 to rupture about the edgesof the inlet opening of the spout 74 since the opening in the spoutoffers no support for the paper Web.

The spout 74 has a closure cap 78 which may be placed on the outer endthere to prevent drying of ink in the s out. ,p Referring to Fig. 7still another form of ink cartridge 1s i shown at C". As shown in thisfigure, the cartridge comprises a paper cylinder 80 having its dischargeend closed by a flanged disk 81 which has a flap 82 formed adjacent toone side thereof and similarly to the iiap 57 of the disk 56. A spout 83is provided having a flared base portion 84 which is adapted to engagethe disk 81 and encompass the edges of the liap 82 and receive the flaptherein when it is pressed outwardly, as shown. The stem portion of thespout 83 is curved and projects laterally at approximately to the axisof the spout opening in the base thereof and extends Well beyond thesides of the cartridge so that ink may be deposited on surfaces parallelto the axis of the cartridge.

The spout 83 is held in place by a flanged cap 85 having a raisedportion 86 which conforms ,to the curved portion of the spout and isadapted to engage the latter to hold it in positionagainst the disk 81and over the flap 82. An opening 87 is formed in one side of the raisedportion 86 through which the spout projects; The cap 85 has a peripheralflange 88 which frictionally engages the sides of the cartridge toretain the cap in place on the cartridge. The opposite end of thecylinder 80 is closed by a disk, not shown, similar to disk 51.

In using the cartridge C" in the plunger mechanism A the cap 40 isomitted and a cap, not shown, is substituted therefor having an openingto accommodate the raised portion 86 of the cap 85 and the laterallyprojecting spout s3. l

It will be understood that the cartridges of ink shown and describedcould be used in any suitable holders having plunger mechanisms forforcing the ink therefrom and that the holder A is only one example ofsuch mechanisms. For instance, the cartridges C', C" could be employedin holders comprising a socket in which the plunger receiving ends ofthe cartridges are placed and a wire bail extending across the outerends of the cartridges to hold them relative to the plunger. The plungercould be advanced through the cartridges by any suitable means.

It will he seen that the present invention provides a dispenser forprinting ink which is handy for storing and enables ink to beconveniently and economically applied to printing presses. Wastage ofink is minimized by close control of the application thereof alforded bythe dispenser, and excess ink may be recovered from the presses bydrawing the plunger rod 17 to the right and moving the end wall 51toward its original position to thereby create a suction and draw in inkthrough the nozzle of the cartridge.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described inconsiderable detail, I do not wish to be limited to the particularconstructions and processes shown and described which may be variedwithin the scope of the invention, and it is the intention to coverhereby all adaptations, modifications and arrangements thereof whichcome within the practice of those skilled in the art to which theinvention relates.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a printing press ink dispensercomprising handle structure having a sleeve-like cartridge seat, atubular cartridge containing a quantity of printing ink received by saidseat, a cap member adapted to t over the outer end of said cartridge forholding said cartridge in said seat, a disk-like member operativelyconnected to and closing the outer end of said cartridge and having aconcave portion facing outwardly from said cartridge, said disk-likemember having an aperture therethrough normally closed by a ilap formedof material partially cut therefrom and adapted to be moved outwardly toopen said aperture upon the application of pressure thereagainst by saidink, a spout extending outwardly from said disk-like member and alignedwith said aperture, said spout extending outwardly through an opening insaid cap member and having a convex base portion adapted to nest in saidconcave portion of said disk-like member, a shoulder on said spoutadjacent to the opening in said cap member and facing the discharge endof said spout, said cap member including means for connecting said capmember to said structure and for causing said cap member to engage saidshoulder to press said base portion against the outer end of saidcartridge, pistonlike means closing the opposite end of said cartridgeand movable through said cartridge, a plunger aligned with saidcartridge, means supporting said plunger in said handle structure formovement lengthwise of said cartridge, means for advancing said plungerrelative to said handle structure to move said piston-like means throughsaid cartridge to place the ink therein under pressure and move saidiiap and force ink outwardly through said spout.

2. In a dispensing device, a cartridge containing material to bedispensed and having a movable piston closing one end thereof and anaperture in the other end thereof for discharging the material to bedispensed from the cartridge, a handle structure including a member forreceiving said cartridge, plunger means carried by said structure andengageable with said piston, means carried by said structure andoperatively connected to said plunger means for advancing said plungermeans to move said piston through a dispensing movement, a cap adaptedto fit over said other end of said cartridge to secure the cartridge inplace in said member, a removable spout aligned with said aperture andhaving a laterally extending base portion, said base portion beingpositioned intermediate said cap and said cartridge and the spoutextending outwardly of said cap through an opening therein, abutmentmeans on said spout adjacent the inner side of the opening in said capand engageable by said cap, said cap including means for connecting saidcap to said member and for -causing said cap to engage said shoulder topress the base portion of said spout tightly against the adjacent end ofsaid cartridge.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,489,262 Martin Apr. 8, 1924 2,106,577 Sherbondy Jan. 25, 19382,111,582 Crewe Mar. 22, 1938 2,561,825 Sherbondy July 24, 19512,602,571 Sherbondy July 8, 1952 2,629,517 Slobin Feb. 24, 19532,646,906 Jones et al July 28, 1953

